Oh my how Daisy has grown!!

 As we sit back and reflect on the past year I have so many things to be thankful for. A lot has happened in the course of a year but the most exciting thing was the addition of our new dog Daisy.  This first picture is of Jessee (11yr old Chesapeake Bay Retriever) with Daisy (9week old Great Dane).  We were so lucky to find such a sweet dog and she is a perfect fit into our chaotic family. 

The next picture is of Jessee and Daisy (20weeks old).  Can you believe how much she has changed.  Her face has changed and she is much more relaxed.  She enjoys her daily walks and loves cozying up to Jessee even though Jessee would rather be an only dog.    I am enjoying the process of puppy training and watching the changes.  She does lots of goofy things, like crawling across the floor instead of getting up and walking, parking herself in front of the fire place and overheating, and chewing her rawhide bones.  She loves to bring her stuffed toys to us to play fetch. She shakes her head back and forth like a loon.  She definitely fills my day with joy.

On the stitching front, not much to report.  I have been working on a special project for a friend and don't want to post pics until she sees them in person.  I have also been working on Blackbird Peacock Pinkeep.  I hope to finish it in 2010 so I need to get busy stitching!!  

I also wanted to report to those of you who followed my blog through the kitty fostering we did in August.  I am happy to report that Olivia (mommy kitty) was adopted after only 10 short days at the shelter.  She is now in her forever home and doing very well.  I can't wait for the next kitty that comes our way!

Thank you for the lovely comments!  They inspire me to post more often and continue on my stitching endeavors.  For those doing the Crazy Challenge, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing your progress.  As for me, I hope to have a good mix of WIPS and new projects finished in 2011.  Keep on stitching everyone!!!

A Snowy finish and a Holiday Wish!

My first order of business is to thank Amy at Amy's Stitches for the lovely package I received in the mail this week.  It certainly felt wonderful receiving such a lovely gift.  Amy had a giveaway on her blog and I was the first comment posted so I thought, I'll never win that one.  Well the random number generator worked in my favor and I was the lucky recipient of this adorable embroidered snowman ornament/pillow.  I love it! Thank you Amy!!

I was working on this LHN Snow White pattern at my Wednesday Stitching group for the last couple of weeks and finally finished it up last weekend.  I stitched it on 32ct bluegrass linen and used Belle Soie Icing.  I love the way it turned out and plan to make it into a pillow.

I also finished the stitching on this Sue Hillis Design titled Sugar and Spice.  My mom had asked me to stitch this for her friend's new baby and I wanted to share it before I personalized it to maintain their privacy.  It turned out super sweet and I chose a white frame that compliments it beautifully. 

Next, I created a bracelet for the same friend's baby.  They asked my mom and dad to be god parents for their daughter so naturally my mom wanted something special for the baptism.  I made 2 bracelets because there is an older sibling and I certainly didn't want to leave her out.  One bracelet is 4" (teeny tiny) and the other is 6".  I hope they like them.

That is what has been keeping me busy these past several days.  I hope you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy spending time with family and friends.  Happy Stitching!

Winter is here!!

Winter has officially arrived!  We had our first snow storm which was forcasted to be just a dusting and ended up being 4+ inches. I wish I had a job where I could be wrong 90% of the time and not get fired.  Let's just say that Mother Nature is definitely the boss.  What she says goes.  The above picture was taken in the backyard.  It is a beautiful male cardinal.  We have 4 pairs that visit the feeder frequently and I truly enjoyed to color contrast with the white snow.  The kids played in the snow the minute it fell on the ground and I have to keep calling them in to warm up and dry off before they head out again.  I love to see them enjoying the great outdoors.  As for me, no better time than to get some stitching done.  I haven't taken pictures yet but hope to get to it tomorrow.  Just a reminder to sign up for the giveaway at New England Stitchers Retreat blog, the link is in the previous post.  I will be drawing a name tomorrow after stitching group. 
I want to thank all of the bloggers out there who have shared their Christmas decorations.  I enjoyed seeing all of your festive displays.  Everything seems soooo colorful and happy.  I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!  Happy Stitching!

Holiday Giveaway to tell you about

Marie from ABC Stitch Therapy and co-host of the New England Stitcher's retreat has given me these 3 Lizzie Kate Kits to giveaway to one lucky winner.  Hop on over to the stitching retreat blog to become a follower and enter to win.  The drawing will be Wednesday.  Good Luck everyone!

The dust has finally settled. . . sort of

First thing I would like to share are these wonderful felted owls I won from Tracy.  The are beautifully done and I love them.  Thanks Tracy!!  You can visit Tracy at her blog or see her other lovely creations atThe Dancing Needle Etsy Shop. 

On the holiday front, here are a couple of the many dreidels in my collection.  We had a very fast Hanukah this year!  It seems this year is moving at lightning speed and I hope that 2011 slows down a bit so we can all enjoy it.  We had our family celebration on Saturday and now all of the decorations are packed up waiting to come out again next year.  Having the holiday early has it's pros and cons.  One pro, all my shopping is done while most everyone else is still hunting for that perfect gift.  Con, we don't get to fully enjoy the festivities of the season.  It has been very cold here, but no snow.  The kids are anxiously anticipating a snowy season but I am quite content to be inside where it is warm.  That stitching chair is looking mighty comfortable but I have been so busy with everything that I haven't had much time to stitch nor can I keep my eyes open once I sit down to do it. 

Daisy greets everyone with a Happy Hanukah

A Hanukah Chewy treat!

 I did manage to finish this scissor fob for my friend Ellen.  She did a beautiful job stitching Lizzie Kate spring Fab fob over one with recommended thread and fabric.  She has a hard time whip stitching so I said I would finish it for her.  I think it came out great.  She stitches wonderfully.  The next item I finished while waiting in the car for my boys while they attend Hebrew School.  It's my second LHN Ornament but I still need to finish it.  I hope to do that in the upcoming week since things have slowed down a bit.

I wish you all a great weekend and plan to post more regularly in the next months.  I have many Daisy pics and stories and hopefully lots of wonderful finishes on the horizon.  Happy Stitching!

Happy Hanukkah!!

Wow did that creep up on me! I survived the Thanksgiving festivities and now my plans are underway for our Hanukkah Celebration on Saturday.  We will have another 19 guests in our home so the cooking and cleaning starts all over again.  I also had to finish up my shopping.  We celebrate with a gift each night so I had to shop for and wrap 40 gifts not including nieces, nephews, etc.  You know the drill.  I usually have everything done by Thanksgiving but I was caught up in some stitching.  Needless to say, I put the stitching down for a while to get ready for Thanksgiving and haven't started back up yet!  Oh how I miss my stitching.  I am hoping to spend all of next week in my stitching chair once this party is out of the way.  For those of you also caught up in the madness of preparations don't forget to carve out a little time for yourselves.  I'll be back with pics real soon!  Happy Stitching! 

A Lovely Win!

Last week I was the very lucky winner of Mary Kathryn's blog giveaway.  It was a fun giveaway and I can't wait to stitch it up.  You can visit her blog to see how she finished this quaker acorn.  She included everything I need to make one just like her model.  Thank you MaryKathryn!!

A Blog Award!!!

Carin at Stitches by Carin nominated me for a blog award.  I am honored to receive this award and love following all of the wonderful blogs out there.   In accepting this award I must list 5 things you may not know about me and pass the award onto 5 deserving blogs.  That's really hard to do because I love reading and catching up on all the blogs I follow so I will list the five I think you will enjoy.

First up 5 things about me:  My favorite drink is Starbucks Black Ice Tea Unsweetened (How boring is that),
I graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and worked as a Pharmacist for 15 years before becoming a stay at home mom,  I  love to read ALOT and will read almost anything, I enjoy the drama of reality TV such as The Real Housewives of Orange County, Survivor and the Bachelor (really poor taste) and I would like to someday live in Portland Oregon.  I love the West Coast and Oregon is my favorite place.

Now onto nominating 5 blogs

1. Vonna at The Twisted Stitcher, she has the most enjoyable blog to visit.  It's full of fun info and her tutorials help with all of my finishing woes.
2.Mary Kathryn at ehandcrafts.com for her wonderful photos and sewing projects.  If you haven't visited her blog it's a must. The photography speaks for itself.
3. Faye at Carolina Stitcher for her beautiful stitching.  Everything she creates is gorgeous.
4. Natalie at A Stitch in Time for her beautiful blog.  I love the look of her blog, it is soothing and enticing.  She has so many wonderful projects she has finished and everything in lovely.
5. Myra at Gr8dame's Place.  Not only is she a talented stitcher but her sewing is fantastic.  She made the most adorable pumpkin pincushions and lovely owls.

There you have it!  I believe all of the blogs I frequent are beautiful and deserve an award in their own right but I am trying to follow the rules associated with this award.  Thank you all for visiting.  I love all of the wonderful and encouraging comments I receive. Until Next Post, Happy Stitching!!!!!

LHN December Sampler finished and a Daisy update!

We have had a few days of rainy weather and what better thing to do than stitch.  I finished stitching this on Monday but didn't post until now because I was down with a cold for a few days.  I am feeling back to myself and when I look around me all I see are the things that need to be taken care of for Thanksgiving.  I will have 18 guests this year and I am looking forward to every single one.  As far as the work goes, well I will try to fit it in between stitching time.  Just Kidding!  I have already started ironing linens and polishing silverware.  The platters have been cleaned and the dishes are next.  I took a break and decided to update my blog.  The above piece is LHN Monthly Sampler - December.  It is stitched on 28ct Natural Linen.  You may not recognize this piece from others you have seen in blogland because I played a switcheroo.  I changed the house from red to blue.  All of my holiday decor is silver and blue hence the blue house.  I am so proud of the fact that I have stitched all of the monthly samplers in a relatively timely manner and I am doing a happy dance.  Diane has created a great monthly series and I loved stitching each one.

On the puppy front, Miss Daisy had a follow up vet visit today and she now weighs 39 lbs.  That is about 1/2 pound a day since her last visit.  I really can't believe it.  I knew having a Great Dane was going to be an adventure but I really can't believe how big, but extremely GENTLE she is.  In my last post, I showed a picture of her in a rocking chair which she had taken over and last weekend, as hard as she tried to climb in that chair she just couldn't fit.  She rested her head on the cushion, looked at me sadly as if to say "Mom, I just don't fit anymore."  Way too cute!!! Here is a pic!

Thanks for visiting.  Back to work for me.

Farewell, Sweet Olivia!!

As some of you know,  I was fostering a sweet mommy kitty and her babes.  All of the kittens have been placed in their forever homes.  Olivia payed a visit to the spay wagon last week and recovered beautifully.  She is a darling cat and today was the day that she was placed in the shelter in search of the perfect owner.  I hope someone finds her as charming as I did and adopts this lovely lady before the holidays.  I enjoyed caring for her and her kittens for the last several months and I will miss them.  Best wishes Sweet Olivia!!

I've finished stitching these, now what?

Today was a beautifully sunny day and I spent time doing some tidying up.  Once that was out of the way, I ironed and photographed some recent finishes.  Finished stitching that is!!  I am not quite sure what to do with them.  I thought pillows or boxes, but maybe they should be frames??  So until I decide I thought I would share the stitching part.  The first is Autumn in New York by Primrose Needleworks.  I used the recoommended thread and stitched it on 36ct Sandcastle.

 Next is a design by Plum Street titled Gobble.  My stitching group friend Deborah did this one a month or so ago and I just couldn't resist.  That Turkey is just too cute!!  I stitched it on 32 ct Antique Ivory using DMC thread.

 The next is A Sampler Girl design titled Quaker Boo.  I stitched it on Dirty Belfast 32ct and used DMC threads.  It was a quick stitch and I hope to make this into a small pillow.

Lastly is my latest LHN Monthly Sampler finish.  I just got the pattern in the mail on Monday Nov 8th (even though it was an autoship) and thankfully it worked up quickly.  This will be stretched to the size of the others for my pop-in frame.

I am currently working on December LHN Monthly.  I want to thank everyone for reading my blog and leaving your wonderful comments.  I love all of the new stitchy friends I have made in blog land and love sharing my work and seeing yours.  Happy Stitching!!

Info about my Header picture and a giveaway!!

I have had a few inquiries about my header picture and realized I didn't even show the best part of this project.  This design is by Catherine Strickler of Indigo Rose.  She taught this class at Celebrations of Needlework a couple of years ago.  The design, from the best of my memory, is titled Tiny Tool Needle Book.  It uses many specialty stitches and wonderful Caron silks.  I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this project.  Catherine is very entertaining and her instructions are quite AWESOME!!  She credits her husband for those but I have to tell you they don't get better than hers.  The above picture is the front, the back I don't have photographed and the inside, when the book is opened is pictured in my header.  It holds 3 tiny plastic tubes to hold 3 different sized needles.   It's a wonderful addition to my smalls collection.
Other news is that Belinda of  Samplings from a Blue Ribbon Girl is hosting a wonderful giveaway for a beautiful quilted needlebook.  Hop on over and check it out.  A dear friend from my stitching group won a handcrafted project bag from Belinda's last giveaway and it's just beautiful.

Better late than never Finish. . .

Well,  what can I say.  Life has clearly gotten in the way.  I am trying to stitch more and spend less time on the computer.  I have more finishes to show you but they need to see an iron before they are photographed.  In the last 2 weeks we have been busy with parent-teacher conferences, DH was away on business for 5 days, and then Halloween and now Theme nights for the boys.  Loving every minute but it is cutting into some of my me time.  The above pictures were stitched in the last couple of months but I thought I would post them in their pop out frames.  Above picture is September Sampler from LHN on Natural Linen with some colors changes and the bottom is October Sampler from LHN on Natural Linen.  The best part of these is that no one, not one of the 5 humans that share my house noticed that I changed them. HUH!  So much for being observant.   

The other thing keeping me busy,  DAISY. 

Daisy 13 weeks

Daisy, the rocking chair thief

Daisy enjoying a sunny autumn day!

She is growing by leaps and bounds.  At her vet appointment last week she weighed in at 31 lbs.  The vet recommended increasing her to 4 cups of food a day because she was looking thin. She would like us to continue to increase by 1/2 cup a week until she fills in a little.  I am loving her company, we enjoy daily walks after lunch and it's fun to see how she reacts to new things.  When the leaves are falling, she barks and chases them which is darn cute.  She has outgrown her crate and her puppy bed is getting kind of small so she tends to take Jessee's.  She and Jessee spend most afternoons in a game of tug-of-war with the latest conquest, stuffed toy or boy.  Quite Entertaining.
Also wanted to let you know that I updated the New England Stitcher's Retreat Blog with May Retreat information.  Next week we will be hosting a giveaway so be sure to become a follower!  I know you will love the prizes.

Fortune Cookie Friday

"If the world seems cold, kindle a fire to warm it"

Daisy's Cranberry Harvest Adventure and Fortune Cookie Friday

 As you can see, Miss Daisy is growing VERY quickly.  She is noticably taller and has gained 6 pounds.  Even though she had a few minor health issues she is doing wonderfully.  Her puppy behavior is minimal and has caught onto potty training.  We have been spending lots of time watching the cranberry harvest.  My boys have been working hard with the harvest.  It is a beautiful sea of red berries.

I have posted additional pictures of the Stitchers Retreat on the blog stitchingretreats.blogspot.com.  

 I encourage all of you to enjoy the pictures.  I will be posting May's Retreat Project next week so become a follower to get the latest news.  And finally, FORTUNE COOKIE FRIDAY!

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot

(Well isn't that encouraging)

Happy Stitching!

A Second Pick Winner!

Well ladies,  I have no way of contacting craftpatty2.  I have reached out a couple of times with no response and since I want someone to enjoy my Think Pink Giveaway I chose a second name.  The winner selected is Jennifer of Confessions of a Serial Starter.  Congrats Jenn!!  I will e-mail you for snail mail info.

New Enland Stitcher's Retreat Recap

I don't know where to begin.  This is a picture of the Great Stone Dwelling at the Shaker Museum in Enfield NH.  It is the site of the New England Stitchers Retreat.  I picked Thea Dueck, our lovely and talented designer, up from the airport and safely transported her to NH.  We had several guests arrive a day early so that they could take in the various sights that this area has to offer. 

This is Lake Mascoma which sits behind the Shaker Museum.  It is extremely picturesque and peaceful.  Although the facility is simplistic in true shaker fashion there is something quite magical and mystical about it.  I walked with Thea to the clearing on the mountain where it is said that the shakers had there ceremonies and rituals.  We greeted more guests Friday evening and held the Welcome Reception so that everyone could get to know each other.  The teaching area and stitchers lounge where spacious and bright.  I enjoyed meeting new stitchers and seeing their lovely projects. Teresa from California presented me with this lovely gift for hosting the retreat.  It had all sorts of lovely treats from California and she even stitched a beautiful fob with my initial and a lovely pair of mini snipits.  They are great.  Little did she know that my favorite color is blue.  PERFECT and thoughtful!! 

The next picture is a lovely gift from the Minnesota gals, Maryanne, LuAnne, Vicki, and Karen.  It is a lovely gingerbread theme ort container and thread counter.  It was perfect for the project we were working on. 

I won't post all of the details here.  If you want to find out more check out New England Stitchers Retreat blog.  I will be posting more about the retreat project, location, and activites. 

Still looking for Craftypatty2 to get an address for the win. Please email me your contact info!!

Fortune Cookie Friday

"Give yourself some peace and quiet for at least a few hours"

I don't say it often but TGIF.  I am coming off of a very busy week and had hoped to post about the fabulous retreat that I co-hosted with Marie but I have been running at warp speed.  There is always tomorrow I guess.  Right now I am in desperate need of some Stitch Therapy.  So until next post, Happy Stitching!! 

We Have a Winner . . .

Sorry that this is a day late.  I was ultra busy at the retreat over the weekend and didn't get to finish my fob until this morning.  I hope you like it.  This is the worst picture.  I just couldn't get the lighting right.

The lucky winner of my THINK PINK GIVEAWAY will receive this fob which I designed and created especially for the giveaway.  If anyone would like the pattern you can email me and I will send a copy so you may stitch your own.  Without further ado,  my youngest son chose the name CRAFTYPATTY2.   Congratulations!!  Please send me your snail mail address so I can get this off to you.

Lots of retreat news will be posted tomorrow.
Happy Stitching!!